Seed tape dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispensing package for a roll of seed tape consisting of a plasticized cardboard backing to which a transparent cover member is hermetically sealed to define a reel cavity. A reel for the seed tape is rotatably carried in the cavity, which includes a tangential outlet through which the tape can be dispensed. The reel consists of a flat circular cardboard member, having suitable printed indicia on one face for viewing through the transparent cover, and a plastic spool which cooperates with the cardboard member to carry the tape. Means are provided for locking the reel in a predetermined position to preclude its rotation due to hygroscopic expansion and contraction of the tape, and to thereby maintain the printed indicia in an upright position.

[ Aug. 14, 1973 3,403,869 10/1968 Marchisen.........................206/78 B Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. Attorney Ralph F.Merchant, John S. Summers et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A dispensing package for a roll of seed tape consisting ofa plasticized cardboard backing to which a transparent cover member ishermetically sealed to define a reel cavity. A reel for the seed tape isrotatably carried in the cavity, which includes a tangential outletthrough which the tape can be dispensed. The reel consists of a flatcircular cardboard member, having suitable printed indicia on one facefor viewing through the transparent cover, and a plastic spool whichcooperates with the cardboard member to carry the tape. Means areprovided for locking the reel in a predetermined position to precludeits rotation due to hygroscopic exlnventor: Russell G. Foster, Mankato,Minn.

Assignee: Northrup, King & Co., Minneapolis,

Minn.

Filed: Apr. 5, 1972 Appl. N01: 241,217

U.S. 206/52 R, 47/56, 221/70, 206/78 B, 206/46 PL Int. 865:! 75/40, B65d85/67 Field of Search 206/52 R, 78 B, 46 PL, 206/4534, 56 R; 221/70;47/56; 242/5553 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS United StatesPatent 1 Foster SEED TAPE DISPENSER SEED TAPE DISPENSER The invention isrelated generally to dispensing packages for coiled material, and isspecifically directed to a dispensing package forseed tape wound onto areel.

A significant advance in the field of plant propagation has been thedevelopment of seed tapes. See, for example, U. S. Pat. No. 3,328,916,which issued to Haruto Okita et al. on July 4, 1967. The Okita et al.patent discloses an improved seed tape formed from material capable ofmaintaining a proper moisture content for the seed, and which dissolvesreadily by water applied at the time of planting. The seeds'areenveloped in the tape in predetermined spaced relation, which enablesthe user to plant seeds simply by placement of the tape in a preparedrow, covering the tape with an appropriate amount of soil and applyingyvater to dissolve the tape.

By reason of the nature and properties of such seed tape, it isnecessary to package the tapein such a manner that it will be protectedfrom moisture prior to its use. However, it is also important that; thepackage itself be inexpensively produced in view of the relatively lowcost of a given quantity of tape.

We have found that a package having a rotatable dispensing reel isparticularly suitable due to the ease with which the tape can be placedin soil. The reel, however, must be sufficiently strong to withstandtheforce of tension as the tape is drawn from the package, while at thesame time meeting the requirement of economic production. It is alsopreferable that the reel carry some printed indicia to identify itscontents, and that the indicia be maintained in an upright positionbefore dispensing of the seed tape begins.

My invention is directed to a dispensing package for seed tape whichsatisfies these requirements. The preferred embodiment of my inventivedispensing package employs a plasticized cardboard backing to which atransparent cover member is heat sealed to define a cylindricalprotective cavity in which a two piece reel is rotatably disposed. Onemember of the reel comprises a heavy paper or cardboard disc the face ofwhich includes printed information identifying the reel contents, acompany name or the like. A plurality of centrally disposed, circularlyspaced tabs are punched in the cardboard disc and project from its rearface.

The second reel member consists of a plastic disc having a projectinghub portion sized to be received by and thereby act as a support of thetabs. It will be appreciated that winding of the seed tape on the reelserves to connect the two reel members, with the hub portion of theplastic member offering support to'- the tabs and preventing collapse ofthe coil when the seed tape is drawn from the package.

My invention includes an additional feature which locks the reel inplace within the protective cavity until the dispensing package isopened for use. Because the tape itself is water soluble, it issensitive to even slight changes in the moisture content of its ambientsurroundings. Although the reel cavity is sealed to protect the tapefrom moisture, it will be appreciated that climate changes may affectthe cavity interior over a period of time. The result, depending onmoisture content of the ambient air, is extension and contraction of thetape which, due to its coiled form, causes rotation of the reel withinthe package. If the reel carries printed information, such informationwill be canted from the normally upright package display position, thusmaking it difficult; for a prospective purchaser to read.

To solve this problem, the reel is locked in place within the cavity bythe tape itself through provision of a tangential outlet from the cavitywhich frictionally engages the remote tape end prior to opening of thepackage, and a slot formed in the cardboard disc which receives andholds a portion of the tape spaced from the extreme end. With the tapelocked at these two points, the reel is unable to rotate with thepackage unopened, but opening of the package followed by a slight pullon the tape quickly brings about its release at these two points.

BRIEl F DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective inview of a dispensing package embodying the inventive principle;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the inventive dispensing package; f

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the package taken generally along the line3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the package taken along the line 4-4 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the package taken along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the packageoutlet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With initial reference to FIG.1, an inventive dispensing package represented generally by the numeral11 is shown to comprise a backing member 12, a cover member ll3 a reelcomprising a first reel member 14 and a second reel member 15, and alength of seed tape 16 wound onto the reel.

As disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,328,916, issued to Haruto Okita et al.on July 4, 1967, seed tape 16 comrpises an elongated tape 17 whichenvelopes a plurality of spaced seeds 18, the tape being formed frommaterial which is readily dissolvable in water. The seed tape 16 itselfforms no part of the instant invention, and reference is made to theaforementioned Okita et al patent for specific details as to itscomposition.

Backing member 12 is rectangular in shape, prefera; bly formed fromlight weight cardboard to permit information identifying packagecontents, company name, planting instructions and the like to be printedthereon. At least the front face of backing member I2 is coated with athin layer of plastic to provide a seal as described in further detailbelow.

Transparent cover member 13 is formed from plastic and includes a flatmarginal portion 21 extending around its periphery. Generally speaking,the cover member 13 also includes a circular portion 22 defining acylindrical cavity 23 (see FIG. 4), and an elongated portion 24extending tangentially from the circular portion 22 to define an outletfor the seed tape 16. Disposed essentially within the circular portion22 is a cylindrical projection 25, the purpose of which will bedisclosed in further detail below.

To protect the coil of seed tape 16, the marginal portion 21 of covermember 13 is heat sealed -to the plasticized backing member 12. Withreference to FIG. 2, bhe broken line 26 defines the area of heatsealing. Heat is not applied to a tip area 27 on the marginal portion21, which thereby defines a lifting tab, or to two small arcuate areas28, which together facilitate bending back of the elongated portion 24in opening the package 1 1.

With additional reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the first reel member 14comprises a circular disc formed from light weight cardboard so thatdesired information can be printed or otherwise placed thereon. Acircular opening 31 is centrally formed in the member 14 and sized tomate with the cylindrical projection 25 of cover member 13. Thus, theprinted or outer face of the reel member 14 faces outwardly within thecavity 23 to be viewed by a prospective purchaser.

Reel member 14 further includes a plurality of centrally disposed,circularly arranged tab members 32 which project rearwardly within thecavity 23 in folded position. A slot 33 is formed in the right hand edgeof the reel member 14, such position being chosen with reference toprinted information thereon in an essentially upright position. As willbe described below, the slot 33 receives and retains the seed tape 16,and its lower corner is notched, as at 34, to simplify tape removal.

The second reel member 15 preferably is formed from plastic andcomprises a disc 35 from which a hub 36 projects. As shown in FIG. 4,the outer diameter of hub 36 is sized to be received by the tab members32 on reel member 14. The outer end of the hub 36 has a circular opening37 of reduced size permitting it to rotatably cooperate with thecylindrical'projection 25 of cover member 13.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the first and second reelmembers together define a rotatable reel having flange portions or discsspaced apart by a spool portion consisting of the cooperating tabmembers 32 of the first reel member 14 and the hub 36 of the second reelmember 15. Since the spool portion of the reel must support the coil ofseed tape 16, particularly when the tape is unwound from the reel, it isnecessary that the hub 36 be self-supporting. Winding of the seed tape16 on the cooperating tab members 32 and hub 36 thus causes the firstand second reel members 14 and 15 to be held together as a singlerotatable reel unit.

For purposes of packaging efficiency, the length of seed tape 16 woundon the dispensing reel is preferably the same, notwithstanding the seedtype. This poses a problem because the size of the seed determines theoverall diameter of the tape coil, and it is necessary that the end ofthe seed tape terminate essentially at the outlet end of elongatedportion 24 of cover member 13. The inventive dispensing package 11provides a solution to this problem by reason of its ability to initiatethe coil at any point on its circumference. Specifically, and as bestshown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the leading end of the tape, designated 38, ispinned or caught between the front face of hub 37 and a predeterminedpoint on the rear face of reel member 14; and the remaining length oftape 16 is thereafter wound into the coil. Thus, for a tape having seedsof a given size, the initial point at which the leading tape end shouldbe caught can be determined so that the opposite tape end will terminatein the general area of the package outlet.

FIG. 3 shows the opposite tape end to extend slightly further than theelongated outlet portion 24 of cover member 13. This enables the tapeend to be folded under and locked within the end of elongated portion24. With additional reference to FIGS. 4-6, the elontape 16 is pressedinto the recess of the neck 39, it is frictionally locked into place.

After the tape 16 leaves the reel to enter the tangential outlet ofelongated portion 24, it passes through the slot 33 as shown in FIG. 2.This provides a second locking point for the tape 16, the two lockingpoints together preventing rotation of the reel by reason of hygroscopicexpansion and contraction of the tape 16. Consequently, where thecardboard reel member 14 includes printed matter on its outer face, andthe slot 33 is oriented as shown in FIG. 2 with the printed matter inupright position, the printed matter will always remain in an upright,readable position within the package 11.

To plant seeds from the dispensing package 11, the unsealed tab 27 islifted away from backing member 12, carrying sealed marginal portion 21back until the unsealed areas 28 are reached. As shown in FIG. 6, themarginal portion 21 bends at this point; and as viewed in the brokenline portion of FIG. 3, the doubled tape end releases outwardly from thedove-tail recess of neck 29, thus permitting it to be grasped and drawnaway from the package. As the tape 16 is pulled from the package,itsslides out of the locking slot 33 (facilitated by the notch 34), andfurther pulling movement causes the reel to rotate and permit the tape16 to be unwound. It is particularly convenient to stake the releasedtape end to the ground within the intended seed row, and to draw theentire package 11 along the row until the tape 16 is entirely dispensed.

I claim:

1. A dispensing package for a length of coiled material, comprising:

a. a backing member;

b. a transparent cover member having a marginal portion affixed to thebacking member, the backing member and cover member together defining aprotective cavity;

c. a reel for the coiled material having first and second flanges spacedby a spool portion for receiving the coil, the reel being rotatablydisposed in the cavity and comprising 1. first and second cooperatingreel members, the

first reel member defining the first flange and the second reel memberdefining the second flange;

2. one of the first and second reel members having centrally disposed,circularly arranged tab means projecting toward the other reel member;

3. and said other reel member having a selfsupporting hub portionconstructed and arranged to cooperate with the tab means to define saidspool portion;

4. the tab means overlying the hub portion and being supported therebywhen the length of material is wound thereon.

2. The package defined by claim 1, wherein the backing member is formedfrom essentially flat cardboard.

3. The package defined by claim 1, wherein:

a. at least a portion of the backing member is plasticized;

b. the transparent cover member comprises plastic;

c. and the marginal portion of the cover member is heat sealed to theplasticized portion of the backing member.

4. The package defined by claim 1, wherein the tab means is disposed onthe first reel member.

5. The package defined by claim 4, wherein the first reel membercomprises a cardboard disc, and the tab means comprises a plurality ofcircularly spaced, foldable tab members cut from the disc.

6. The package defined by claim 4, wherein:

a. the transparent cover member further comprises a centrally disposedcylindrical projection, the diameter of said cylindrical projectionbeing smaller than that of said self-supporting hub portion;

b. the first reel member has a circular opening centrally disposedtherein for rotatable cooperation with the cylindrical projection of thecover member;

c. and a circular opening is formed in the hub portion of the secondreel member, the opening being sized for cooperation with thecylindrical projection of the cover member.

7. The package defined by claim 4, wherein the second reel member isformed from plastic and comprises a circular disc portion defining thesecond flange, the hub portion projecting axially from the circular discportion.

8. The package defined by claim 1, wherein the first member is formedfrom printable material and has a face disposed in a viewable positionwithin the protective cavity.

9. The package defined by claim 1, wherein the transparent cover membercomprises a circular portion defining the protective cavity, and furthercomprises an elongated portion extending tangentially from the circularportion and defining an outlet at its extreme end. i

1. A dispensing package for a length of coiled material, comprising: a.a backing member; b. a transparent cover member having a marginalportion affixed to the backing member, the backing member and covermember together defining a protective cavity; c. a reel for the coiledmaterial having first and second flanges spaced by a spool portion forreceiving the coil, the reel being rotatably disposed in the cavity andcomprising
 1. first and second cooperating reel members, the first reelmember defining the first flange and the second reel member defining thesecond flange;
 2. one of the first and second reel members havingcentrally disposed, circularly arranged tab means projecting toward theother reel member;
 3. and said other reel member having aself-supporting hub portion constructed and arranged to cooperate withthe tab means to define said spool portion;
 4. the tab means overlyingthe hub portion and being supported thereby when the length of materialis wound thereon.
 2. one of the first and second reel members havingcentrally disposed, circularly arranged tab means projecting toward theother reel member;
 2. The package defined by claim 1, wherein thebacking member is formed from essentially flat cardboard.
 3. The packagedefined by claim 1, wherein: a. at least a portion of the backing memberis plasticized; b. the transparent cover member comprises plastic; c.and the marginal portion of the cover member is heat sealed to theplasticized portion of the backing member.
 3. and said other reel memberhaving a self-supporting hub portion constructed and arranged tocooperate with the tab means to define said spool portion;
 4. the tabmeans overlying the hub portion and being supported thereby when thelength of material is wound thereon.
 4. The package defined by claim 1,wherein the tab means is disposed on the first reel member.
 5. Thepackage defined by claim 4, wherein the first reel member comprises acardboard disc, and the tab means comprises a plurality of circularlyspaced, foldable tab members cut from the disc.
 6. The package definedby claim 4, wherein: a. the transparent cover member further comprises acentrally disposed cylindrical projection, the diameter of saidcylindrical projection being smaller than that of said self-supportinghub portion; b. the first reel member has a circular opening centrallydisposed therein for rotatable cooperation with the cylindricalprojection of the cover member; c. and a circular opening is formed inthe hub portion of the second reel member, the opening being sized forcooperation with the cylindrical projection of the cover member.
 7. Thepackage defined by claim 4, wherein the second reel member is formedfrom plastic and comprises a circular disc portion defining the secondflange, the hub portion projecting axially from the circular discportion.
 8. The package defined by claim 1, wherein the first member isformed from printable material and has a face disposed in a viewableposition within the protective caviTy.
 9. The package defined by claim1, wherein the transparent cover member comprises a circular portiondefining the protective cavity, and further comprises an elongatedportion extending tangentially from the circular portion and defining anoutlet at its extreme end.